Friday, October 30, 2015

Trick-or-TREAT


Halloween is here! Every child looks forward to this day each year—the costumes, the parties, and, most importantly, the candy! Halloween has become a week-long event.  I remember when I was growing up, I would go trick-or-treating not only in my neighborhood, but each of the surrounding neighborhoods that held their event at a different time.  By the end of the holiday, I would have at least two of those pumpkin pails filled to the brim with sugary treats. It was definitely enough candy to last through the year.

As an adult, there is a new day we look forward to….the day after Halloween! All candy goes on sale at Walgreen's, your kids go back to school so you can steal their treats, and your coworkers that over-prepared for the amount of trick-or-treaters they would actually have bring in their leftover candy.
However glorious this day may seem, it is not so good for your health. This huge amount of candy is scarier than Halloween itself!

Here are some spooky things to think about that will really creep you out this Halloween:


  • Let’s first take a minute to think about how long your Halloween candy lasts you throughout the year.  From personal experience, I would say that Halloween candy still tastes delicious until 6 months later, when Easter candy is out, and all I want is a Reese’s shaped like an egg. Now think about how long those bananas on your counter last. Maybe a week. Bananas are highly nutrient and water dense. Our bodies need these nutrients to survive, but so do the microbes that cause rot and decomposition in fruit!  What is in chocolate that makes it stay fresh for so long?! Little-to-no water and A TON of sugar and preservatives—this combination is our microbe friends’ worst nightmare. They hate candy because they can’t survive on it…and guess what? We can’t either.



  • Why do we love sweet and savory treats so much? It’s because, biologically, our bodies actually NEED sugar and salt to function. However (and this is a big however), in today’s world, we get more than enough sugar and salt in our diet. The desire for sugar and salt has become an ADDICTION. Don’t believe me? Check out the reactions of these kids when they are told that their parents ate all of there Halloween candy:






  • Why do our bodies look physically worse after consuming a lot of simple sugars? The second week of November is usually about the time you start to notice physical and mental changes as a result from all that candy you’ve been consuming.  You start getting acne, gain a little weight, your teeth start to rot, and you are having a hard time concentrating and falling asleep.  All of these changes are a result of increased blood sugar.  


    • The sugar in your blood feeds the bacteria in your pores that result in acne.
    • The acidity from the sugar does not mix well with the calcium in your teeth, so they start to rot. 
    • All of the energy from the sugar causes your cells to go into hyperactive mode, causing you to be fidgety and have a hard time concentrating. 


Spooky stuff! Now that I’ve added to your Halloween terror of treats, here are some tricks on how to make Halloween a bit healthier:

  • Limit candy to just Halloween. As of November 1st, toss the rest in the garbage.
  • Strike a deal with your kids—for every piece of candy they turn in, they get points toward something awesome, like next year’s costume, a Christmas present, or fun family activity.
  • Hand out something else to trick-or-treaters! Be a neighborhood celebrity and stand out.  In my neighborhood, we have the house that hands out tennis balls, the house that hands out bubbles, and the house that hosts a haunted garage. All three are must-stops every year.
  • Shorten your trick-or-treat route. Go trick-or-treating for half the time you usually do and then head to a haunted house, a corn maze, or go apple picking instead! 


Happy Halloween!!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Family Meals a time to Talk, Listen, and Connect


It is that time of the year again, the outdoor activities are starting to wrap up, and everyone is moving indoors. As we move indoors, one of the activities we should all consider having is a family meal together. Eventhough it may be tricky to get the whole family together for dinner with varying schedules, but family meals are important. Here's why family meals matter:

  • Studies have shown that family meals can reduce substance abuse and obesity rates in teens. Teens who eat meals with their family also felt more connected with their family.                                                         
  •  Mealtime can be an opportunity to talk, listen, and connect as a family. With this in mind, try to make mealtime pleasant and perhaps even fun. The Family Dinner Project is a great resource for conversation starters and dinner games. Save the homework discussion for later.

  • If schedules are tight, try connecting as a family at breakfast or brunch on the weekend. There is no set amount of nights or times you should eat together as a family.                                                                                                                           
  • If cooking meals is a chore, check out The Real Happy Hour’s Pinterest page for quick recipes. You can also get your children involved, this is another great time to talk, listen, and connect with them! 

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Get Ready...Get Set...CRUNCH!


This year, the Oshkosh Area School District is participating in the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch and Food Day event on Thursday, October 22nd. All Oshkosh area public elementary schools, roughly 2,300 students, are anticipated to join. This is the 2nd year schools in Winnebago County have participated.

This year’s event is organized through a collaboration with Winnebago County’s AmeriCorps Farm to School Program, re:TH!NK, Winnebago’s Healthy Living Partnership, and Oshkosh School District’s Food Service Director, Peggy West. All local apples are provided by Todd Hanson, the owner of Apple Blossom Orchard and Market, in Black Creek, Wisconsin.
The Great Apple Crunch originated in 2012 in New York City, where 400,000 people took a bite out of a locally grown apple at the same time. The event raised awareness about eating healthier diets, saving the environment, supporting local growers and farmers, and increasing access and affordability of local produce. The Great Apple Crunch event is also connected to Food Day. Celebrated on October 24th, Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and solve food related problems at a local, state, and national level.

Farm to School programs across the country are adopting the Great Apple Crunch event to encourage students to try and enjoy healthy locally grown food options at school and in their daily lives. Sarah Elliott, Wisconsin’s Farm to School Program Director, agreed with the cause, saying, “By crunching into an apple at noon, or a time that is best for you, you are showing your support for Farm to School and for Wisconsin farmers!”

Not only is the event raising awareness of Farm to School Programs and healthy nutrition, but it is also helping numerous local farmers across the state. Last year, Wisconsin farmers produced 42.3 million pounds of apples for local consumers, resulting in 78% of the state’s total utilized crop. Some locally grown apples one may find include: Cortland, Priscilla, Jonathan, Empire, Honeycrisp, Gala and McIntosh. For more information about locally grown produce in your area, please visit https://farmfresheastwi.org/.

re:TH!NK encourages you to support a nutritious lifestyle and locally grown produce by participating in the Great Apple Crunch Event on Thursday, October 22nd! To register your school or business, please visit their website or Facebook page. Pictures or videos can be tagged by using any of the following hashtags on Twitter or Facebook: #GreatAppleCrunch #FoodDay2015 #F2SMonth #WIAppleCrunch.

A special thanks to Farmer Todd and Apple Blossom Orchard and Market for their support of the Great Apple Crunch! For more information about Apple Blossom Orchard and Market, visit their website: http://www.appleblossom.farm/ or call (920) 993-7277.